


A Good Question

by bootsncats



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Did I Mention Angst?, Eventual Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:53:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23678698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bootsncats/pseuds/bootsncats
Summary: What does it take to be in a committed relationship with a committed hero?  Annabeth and Percy, over time.None of these characters are mine, etc etc etc
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, percabeth - Relationship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

Annabeth hadn’t meant to go home with him. Really, she hadn’t. She’d sworn off men after her last little fiasco, and she didn’t need them back in her life. 

She’d been at the bar getting drinks with Piper, just the two of them, catching up. Piper’d been passing through the city on her way back to camp for the summer, staying with Jason in Manhattan and had met Annabeth just after dinner. It had been good to see her, until they were both a little too tipsy, until Piper had gotten into her Uber just as Annabeth had been reaching for her phone to do the same. Not soon enough. A man about her age, blonde and tall and lean in a way that reminded her of, well--reminded her—had approached her.

He’d asked her about herself, and it’d been so long since anyone had looked at her that way, since she’d wanted anyone to look at her that way. Maybe she was ready. She’d flirted back, and asked him about his work at a tech start-up as if she were a normal 25-year-old woman that could flirt at bars. And it had worked! It had worked. He’d tugged her curls and asked her back with him, and they’d chatted awkwardly on the subway. 

He’d been polite, asking her if she wanted a glass of wine once they were back at his place. He’d asked to kiss her, and she’d said yes. He was soft and sweet and gentle, but she didn’t know him, not really. Couldn’t say what his last name was or his birthday, or what he was like when he was twelve. How handy he was with a sword, or if he’d fall into Tartarus for her. What color food he liked. He’d kissed her, his hands on her back and in her hair, gentle, and she’d cried. Actually cried. He’d been gentlemanly enough to ask what was wrong, if he could help with anything. She thanked him and left, sobbing all the way home, not caring who saw. 

She’d called Piper, of course, to let her know what happened. 

“Oh, Annabeth,” Piper’d said. “Sweetheart. I know it still hurts. I can’t imagine how painful this is, still. But I really think you should talk to him. It’s been what—three years? Who knows what he’d have to say now? He’s still Percy. I know he’d want to hear from you. I think it could be good for you, give you some good closure.”

And that was all that happened, a measly kiss with a stranger last night and a call to her best friend, to make her feel like this, her head pressed to the subway window on her way to work. She thought she’d moved past this, moved past Percy. But of course, he was always there, lurking in her brain, when she tried to be with anyone else. 

She didn’t need to call Percy to find out how he was doing. Fucking fantastic, of course. His face was all over the mortal news, all the time. The first year, it’d been while he was on his “mission”: a National Geographic show where he’d spent a year stuck on a boat trying to convince the world that the ocean was worth saving from the climate crisis, that its mystery and wonder are boundless and deserve protection. 

It’d been noble, of course. It always was, with Percy. At least that year, she could mostly avoid seeing his face if she flipped through channels very quickly and avoided Netflix entirely. Percy’d made nature shows popular in a way they’d never been before, and his show was advertised abundantly. What had Leo told her in a particularly emotionally insensitive moment? Percy brought sex appeal to saving the ocean. It also helped, of course, that he could coax the “boundless mysteries” of the ocean right into his hands for the world to see. And he’d been right—it’d made a difference. People were talking about the climate crisis and the ocean’s role in the climate crisis more than ever. She hated when he was right. 

What she hated even more, however, was that he was now unavoidable on screens everywhere. Since his show ended, he’d been on a two-year-long world tour of leaders, scholars, governments, non-profits and businesses, trying to convince them to adopt policy changes that would protect the ocean and mankind both. And he’d been good at that too. He’d gotten good press everywhere, and the policy changes were slow, but noticeable. She hated him. 

She couldn’t even walk to work anymore without seeing his face. Even the mortal world adored him now, and printed his likeness on t-shirts and on buttons and posters like he was some kind of nature-saving hippie icon. Some days she thought she’d combust. 

She’d even started seeing a therapist, at Piper’s suggestion, and it helped some. But how was she supposed to move past a relationship with someone who’d given up the world to be with her, who’d fallen into the depths of Tartarus, who’d shown her the meaning of unconditional love, only to rip the ground out from under her feet five years later, when he left to save the world again? 

She would never, never forget the night he’d left. She could remember exactly where they’d stood, in her new apartment, the summer after graduating college. She’d been facing the window in the modest bedroom, looking out across the skyline. He’d held her waist behind her, pulling her against his chest. 

“Annabeth,” he’d said in a voice that made her whirl to face him immediately. 

“Annabeth,” he whispered, still holding his waist. “I got the offer.” 

Her hands had flown to her mouth, and she’d stepped back, out of his arms immediately.

“Percy. Percy, it’d be three years. Haven’t we spent enough time apart? Haven’t we saved the world enough?”

“Annabeth, I know, I know, but I feel like I have to do this. It’s the ocean. And Grover, you know, in his official Lord of the Wild capacity, asked me to do this, and I can’t say no to him. The wild’s dying, Annabeth, and I have to do what I can.”

She’d begun sobbing by that point. He’d continued, “I want us to have a healthy world to live in together. I want to live out our lives, healthy and safe, without having to worry about resources going up in flames and mass migration and freaking world war because of the climate crisis. I want to have children, I want to have children with you, and I want them to have a world to grow up in. And not just any shitty, polluted, chaos-ridden world. I want their world to be beautiful and full of possibilities and plenty.” 

“Annabeth…” he’d said, his voice cracking. “Please, please, do you understand?”

She’d shaken her head, tears and snot running down her face, ugly crying by this point, “Do you understand how worried I was when we were separated for just a few short months? What it was like to live without you? Percy, the hurt was so huge, it was hard to breathe.”

She’d taken a shuddering breath. “We’ve saved the world over and over and over again, put our personal lives on hold, never choosing what makes us happy. Isn’t it enough? Haven’t we sacrificed enough? When will we finally get to choose each other, or choose ourselves? What am I supposed to do, put my life on hold for three years? And when you come back, I’ll never know when you’ll be leaving again, off to save the world. And what if we do decide we want children—will you be able to put their lives, their stability and happiness over saving the world? Because the world will always need saving. It just doesn’t always have to be you.” 

“Annabeth, I’m a son of Poseidon. This one kinda does have to be me.”

“No, it doesn’t. This is threat created by the mortal world, they can figure it out themselves.”

“We’re half-bloods. We walk both worlds. You know as well as I do that what happens in the mortal world, and what happens in the wild, will impact us and everyone in our lives.” 

“Percy,” she’d said, voice cracking, “You’re my family. My only real family. The only person who’s always chosen me. Please, I am begging you, do not leave for so long. I barely held it together last time.”

“It wouldn’t be three full years! We’d Iris message, on the boat, and I could visit you during the second and third year, in between visiting dignitaries. Plus, the last two years only happen if the show’s successful.”

She’d glared at him. “We both know it will be successful.”

He’d raised his hands. “Okay, okay, it’ll be successful. Please, please, tell me you’ll stay with me? That we’ll Iris message and see each other when we can after the first year?”

Her insides had frozen, then, and she wasn’t sure they’d ever completely defrosted since. 

“So I can spend my weekends flying to you and hoping for a moment of your time, fighting for your affection and waiting for you to come back from stupid events, alone at the hotel? No.” she’d said, her chin jutting out. “I will not wait for three years to get my boyfriend back, not when the world will always need saving, and you seem to think you are the only one who can do it. I will not spend my life waiting for you to come back, wondering if you ever will.” 

“Annabeth,” he’d said, his green eyes narrowing, “I once fell into the pits of Tartarus for you. I would do anything for you. But you cannot always be my priority. I cannot always choose you over the world.” 

She’d given him a frosty smile. “Then don’t. Don’t worry about it, ever again. Let me remove the ambiguities on your priority list, because it seems to cause you so much angst.”

She’d pointed to the door. “See you in three years, Percy. If then. Don’t bother to write.”

And the look he’d given her then, green ice, she’d never once seen on his face before. He walked out the door and didn’t look back. She hadn’t spoken to him in three years. 

Annabeth sighed, her head against the subway glass. She should call her therapist, make another appointment. Last night, with that stranger, had proven to her that she still had a long way to go. 

She strode out onto the subway platform, adjusting her cream-colored pencil skirt and clicking her heels together. Leo had given her the shoes, at her last birthday, and she couldn’t be more grateful. They were regular sandals when she wanted them to be, but when she clicked her heels together, they became 6-inch nude stilettos. Perfect for working at New York’s premier architecture firm, but also running from monsters when she needed to. She really did love her friends. 

Outside of the subway, it was a bright spring morning, despite the way she felt, and she found herself being cheered by the way the world finally felt warm after the long winter they’d had. By the way the sunlight glinted off the surrounding buildings, and the professionals around her, especially the women, had begun dressing for the weather, some in sundresses they’d clearly been waiting a while to wear. 

If I can’t have romance, she thought to herself, At least I enjoy the little things. A gift from a friend. Women in sundresses. Maybe that’s enough.

And that was when she saw him, as though from some vision, striding down the street. In faded blue jeans and a gray sweater, walking towards her as though he wasn’t ripping her world in half. Eyes as green as she remembered, black hair sticking in all directions, long and lean and grown up, with stubble that brought out his jaw and--

She turned back the way she came as fast as she could, clicking her heels again so she could fast walk in her sandals, as fast as she could, away without drawing attention to herself. 

It was too late.

“Annabeth!” he called. And then she was running, literally freaking running through a crowd of pedestrians to get away from her now-famous ex-boyfriend. 

“Annabeth!” he called again, closer this time. 

Damn! Was he running too? She ran harder. 

“Annabeth, please!” He grabbed her elbow and spun her around to face him. 

She looked up at him, stunned. He’d grown up, she was right. He was an adult now. And a hot one. Not that he hadn’t always been, hot, that was, but this, this was something new. She could understand what Leo meant about sex appeal. He had turned into a male model. Part of her brain wondered how she looked this morning and the other part engaged with loathing herself with a passion.

“Annabeth,” he’d said, looking down at her, eyes wide. “Hi.” 

“What are you doing here?” she hissed.

“I live here now,” he shrugged. “I moved back. I’m with my mom right now,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “But I’ve been talking with a few local high schools and they seem interested in taking me on as a teacher.”

Annabeth snorted. “Moved back, have you? Welcome home. I’m sure the city is overjoyed to have its boy hero home.”

He looked hurt. “It’s been three years, Annabeth—”

She glared. “And it’s going to have to be another three, Percy. Have a good day.” 

She stepped around him, going once again towards her firm. She clicked her heels again, changing her shoes once again to high heels and walked with as much dignity as she could muster towards her day job.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth is a TALENTED BOSS and no one can tell me any different

Annabeth stalked into the YMCA that evening practically boiling with rage. She could barely think straight, and she’d been looking forward to this all day.

At first, the Y had been a refuge because of the little fighting ring in the back, where she and Jason would spar sometimes. The Mist made it look like they were sparring with boxing gloves instead of celestial bronze, and they’d even met a few other New York demi-gods who would meet them sometimes to spar. But then she’d walked by the adult hip hop class during her first few months here, and she’d been absolutely fascinated by the way the dancers moved, by the way they performed with confidence and energy each night no matter what, no matter how they felt. 

Annabeth’d signed up as soon as possible, and hadn’t told a soul about it. She made sure to tell Jason to meet her 30 minutes after the classes ended every time. At first, she had felt ungainly and stupid, but slowly, slowly, she grew to love dancing. She loved the way it made her feel, confident and powerful and attractive. She loved teaching her body something new, a new kind of precision that didn’t have to be life and death, that could just be about beauty and fun. She’d even made a few mortal friends, and had been slowly asked to help choreograph some of their pieces, and to help coach the lower classes. 

The dancing had been a space of her own, to feel and expand beyond what was expected of her in her professional life or in her friend group from Camp. At hip hop, she was just Annabeth, and she treasured that about it. It became a place where she worked through her feelings, where she went in feeling one way, any way at all, and finished dancing feeling more balanced and grateful to be living in the body she was in, in the moment she was in. 

It had helped too, when just three months after the break-up, she'd had a weak moment and contemplated reaching out to Percy. As she'd thought about it, she'd scrolled through Netflix and found his show, clicking on it idly. Percy'd shown up on screen, calm and cheerful and charming, and right next to him a woman had introduced herself as his co-star. She'd been beautiful and sweet, putting her arm around him casually, and he'd smiled down at her as only Percy could and they'd grinned at the camera together. Annabeth really shouldn't have done what she did next but, being Annabeth, she couldn't help herself. She'd Googled Percy's name and his co-star's name together, and Google had gifted her with five! separate! stories! albeit from gossip magazines about how the pair might be together. She'd slammed her laptop shut and closed down in her mind any thought of reaching out to him along with it. The piece she'd choreographed after that little mishap had been her best work yet, and she'd earned tons of praise and an offer to teach her own class after her group had performed.

Luckily, last week she’d been asked to choreograph their next piece, and she knew exactly what she was going to do with her rage at seeing one Mr. Percy Jackson traipsing around the streets of New York City this morning. She’d been waiting all day for this moment, to be by herself in the open studio. Instead of working today, she’d devoted a large portion of her brain function to picking a song that would feel adequately cathartic to dance to, equal parts rage and energy and the joy for dancing she was never able to keep out of any of her choreography, with a little bit of sex thrown in for good measure. She knew she’d chosen well. 

**

“This way,” Jason said as he guided Percy through the busy Manhattan streets. “The gym’s a bit dingy, but we make do. We’ve even met a few other demi-gods this way, at the fighting ring in the back. It’s been nice.”

“We?” Percy enquired.

“Yes, er—Annabeth. Annabeth and me,” replied Jason, looking over at his friend’s face anxiously. 

“Hmm,” said Percy noncommitally. “You know I saw her today? Annabeth. She was walking to work—I mean, I think she was walking to work, she was in work clothes. Can you imagine? Annabeth, in work clothes! A skirt and a white button down and everything. Like, like she’s an adult or something.”

Jason laughed. “Yeah, or something.”

Percy’s voice dropped. “You know, whenever I’ve thought about Annabeth working, or imagined Annabeth in work clothes, I always thought…you know, I’d always thought she’d come home to me, at the end of the day. I always thought I’d get to be a part of that part of her life. It was weird…it was weird seeing her and not being with her.”

Jason clapped his shoulder sympathetically. “I hear you, my friend. I’m sorry it’s still weird.”

Percy shrugged. “It was always going to be weird to see her again. Always. Might as well get it over with. I’m not sure how we’ll exist in the same city now, especially with so many mutual friends. To be honest, Jason,” he scratched his neck. “I’m a little worried about it. I’m a little worried about how things will go, socially, if you and Pipes and Leo and the rest of the gang are always going to have to be tiptoeing around us, always trying to make sure we’re not in the same place at the same time.” 

Jason nodded. “Me too. It’s going to be strange. But we’ll make it work. I think I can speak for the rest of them when I say I care about both of you, and I want to keep seeing both of you, and making sure you’re comfortable at whatever gatherings are happening is part of that.”

“Thanks. Really. I appreciate it. I don’t think it’s me we’ll have to worry about. I think I could handle being in the same room, but, well… Annabeth. She’s still…”

“Sad, I know, Piper told me.”

“I was going to say furious. You should’ve seen the way she looked at me today when I tried to say hello.” Percy never thought he'd be on the receiving end of one of those looks. But he knew he'd probably be so again if he ever saw her again. He sighed. 

Jason spread his hands helplessly. “I’m sorry. I can try to talk to her later. And ask Piper to talk to her too. I’m sure it was just a shock to see you again. I’m sure she’ll be fine in the same room as you when she’s expecting it.”

Percy just shrugged again. “I’m sure you’re right. And plus, we won’t need to be in the same room anytime soon. No need to figure it out right away.”

Jason winced. “Actually, Perce…”

“Oh NO. Oh no oh no oh no. Tell me now, Jason, put me out of my misery please.”

“It’s Piper’s birthday next week,” Jason said over Percy’s groans. “And, and normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal, we could just disinvite one or both of you and do something separately. But this year, Piper’s dad is flying out and wanted to take her and her friends out to a nice dinner. She wants you both to be there.”

“Jason,” Percy sighed. “I can’t do that to Annabeth. I can’t ruin her night the first time she gets to meet her best friend’s dad. I don’t want her to have to pretend the whole night.”

“And it’s not fair to ask Piper to choose between you, either. We’ll talk to Annabeth. As long as you’re sure that you’d be okay if you had to sit at a dinner with her at the table.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Percy rubbed his jaw. “It’ll be fine.” He hoped. He could pretend it was, for his friends' sake. 

“Great! Piper will be stoked to hear it.” Jason slapped his back. “C’mon, man. Let’s go see how well your sparring skills survived your time as a dainty dignitary.”

Percy threw his head back and laughed. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? You think the monsters stay away just because I’m trying to advocate sound environmental policy now?” 

“I was just trying to give you an excuse for when I kick your ass through next week, through next month and into next year.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Percy laughed, pushing after Jason and into the gym. 

“Whoa,” Percy said, eyes catching immediately on the windows into the dance studio. “I didn’t know you guys had a dance studio here.” 

“Damn, Perce, you really have a type,” Jason commented as the woman in the studio began to dance. “Blonde and fierce.” His eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. She looks just like…”

“Annabeth,” Percy breathed. She was moving as he’d never seen her move before, angry in some moments, yes, but also confident and playful in a way he was used to seeing only when she was at her most comfortable. She looked strong and joyful and sexy, all long legs and hips and hair flying around her, her stomach showing between her black sweats and white crop top. 

“Holy shit,” Jason whispered next to him. “She’s really good. What the fuck? She never mentioned that she was a dancer. Like, ever. Did you know about this?”

Percy shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” 

Annabeth spun on one leg, over and over again, and pulled out of the turn only to flick one of her legs up to her head in a full split, there and then gone again. One moment ballet, one moment hip hop, the choreography was dynamic and spellbinding. Annabeth was dynamic and spellbinding. It was like watching her fight, her ferocity and precision still there, except it was hotter somehow, if that were possible. There was something about the way she moved her hips that reminded him of what it felt like to-- 

“Fuck,” Jason whispered again beside him. “What the actual fuck. Why didn’t we know about this?”

At that moment, Annabeth’s choreography spun her to face the two men at the window. She froze, looking between the two of them, Percy frozen and Jason with his mouth open. She turned immediately, yanking the aux out of her phone, cramming her phone in her bag and throwing it over her shoulder. She pulled her baseball cap low over her eyes, threw open the door and virtually ran past them. 

This time it was Jason who called after her. “Annabeth!” he jogged to catch up to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Annabeth, that was incredible! Why didn’t tell us you could do with that? I mean, that thing, with your leg in a full split and just in general—”

She turned quickly and shoved his hand off of her shoulder, gray eyes flashing. “Do me a favor and fuck off, Grace.” 

She practically ran for the door, and Percy was left with a sense of deja vu.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth and Piper being friends because friendship

“Piper, I’d do anything for you, you know I would. If that means showing up for your birthday party and Percy’s there, so be it. I can behave myself for one evening,” Annabeth had said on the phone a few nights ago. 

But now here she was, outside of Jason’s apartment where Piper was staying, so they could get ready together. One perk of Piper’s having a famous dad was that they had gotten reservations to one of the best restaurants in the city, a place Annabeth never could have afforded on her own. But it also meant she’d be forced to spend the evening with Percy. 

She sighed. She supposed she had thrown enough temper tantrums already, and that he was well aware of how she felt about things. She could at least do Piper the favor of acting normal, and that way she hopefully wouldn’t lose any of her own dignity, either. Plus, she’d spent the past three years learning to perform anyways, as a dancer, and she could put those skills to good use. 

Cheered, Annabeth knocked.

“Beth!” Piper squealed, the nickname a telltale sign she was less than sober already. “Come in! I’m so excited to see you!”

“Happy Birthday, Pipes,” Annabeth laughed. “Hey Jason! Started early, I see!”

“Had to,” said Jason, already dressed in slacks and a white button up, with a glass of wine in his hand. “It’s her birthday!”

“Jason told me that there’s this thing I’m not supposed to raise with you,” Piper stage whispered. “And it’s that you’re secretly an incredible dancer. I just thought, now that you’re here, I could confirm that with you instead of pretending like it’s a secret between us.”

“Piper—” Jason protested.

“S’okay,” Annabeth mumbled. “Good call, Pipes. Wouldn’t want to tiptoe around it. Yeah, I do dance from time to time.”

“That is so COOL!” Piper enthused. “I always knew you were a badass bitch but this truly proves it once in for all. Jason, look up ‘badass bitch’ on your phone—what comes up? A picture of Annabeth? Knew it.” She breezed past him and into the bedroom. “Now come on, Beth, let’s get ready!”

“You are such a strange drunk, Piper,” Jason shook his head. “And I love you for it.”

“Seriously, though,” Piper whispered, once she had closed the door into the bedroom behind them. “So cool. Why’d you keep it a secret?”

Annabeth shrugged. “At first it was because I was too embarrassed to tell anyone, and too atrocious at dancing. But then, after a while, it was just nice that it was my thing, you know? No one else’s. Made me feel like I had a real place outside of work, in the mortal world. It’s just…I don’t know. Super freeing and fun, and like, a big confidence boost?”

Piper nodded knowingly. “That makes total sense. I’m all for it. I hope I get to see it someday, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Maybe someday,” Annabeth smiled. 

“Maybe someday,” Piper repeated. 

“How about you?” Annabeth squeezed Piper’s arm. “How has your birthday been, birthday girl?”

“Oh, you know,” Piper smiled. “I’ve gotten to spend the day with my super hot boyfriend in the coolest city on the planet, knowing that I’ll get to see my friends and my dad tonight. Things have been worse.”

“You freaking glow when you’re happy, did you know that? It’s disgusting,” Annabeth laughed, and then pulled her friend in for a hug. “I’m just kidding, it makes me so happy to see you happy. I’m glad I get to be here with you tonight.”

“Annabeth, you old sop,” Piper laughed back. “Who knew you were such a softie? C’mon, let’s get ready! Let’s make Percy regret the day he ever left Manhattan to set foot on that boat, shall we?”

Annabeth groaned. “Please, Pipes, no mention of Percy until we actually get to the dinner. He’s only allowed to ruin the portions of the evening that he’s actually in my field of vision.”

“Very well, very well, my dear. Have it your way,” Piper said, grinning. “But I’ll know what I’m dressing you for.” She winked at Annabeth, and Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Please, please, sit down in this chair, I’m doing your makeup tonight, no ifs, ands, or buts. Courtesy of your token Aphrodite friend. I may not display my talents often, but I am top-notch makeup artist when I want to be. Kind of comes with the lineage, you know.”

“I do know,” replied Annabeth. “Does this mean I’m doing yours?” she asked, as Piper started in with the various goops that she’d seen other women put on their faces but had always been stymied by. “What the fuck is that and why is it so cold?”

Piper laughed. “You answered your first question. You’re entirely unqualified to do my makeup for the evening. It’s a simple moisturizer.” She started in with something red on Annabeth’s cheeks. Blush? Annabeth couldn’t be sure. 

“You know,” Piper said wistfully. “This kind of reminds me of the way the older girls in the Aphrodite cabin used to torture me when I was a little kid. They’d plop me down in a chair and force me to sit still until they’d perfected whatever makeup look they were trying out. But don’t worry,” she added, when Annabeth looked alarmed. “I won’t be experimenting with your look. It will be simple and classy, tried and true.” 

Annabeth had never had sisters, and had never really understood or enjoyed the whole primping before a party routine that she had sometimes seen other girls doing. But with Piper, she got it. Piper made her feel relaxed, and her focus on Annabeth made Annabeth feel cared for and doted upon. It was just an excuse to get to talk to Piper before the party, really, and Annabeth was always up for that kind of quality time with her best friend. Plus, it made them feel like they were a kind of a team going into the event, and Annabeth appreciated that as well. 

“Ta-da!” Piper said finally, moving so that Annabeth could see herself in the mirror. “You look gorgeous.”

Annabeth blinked at herself in the mirror. She was never particularly vain, but she had to admit, Piper had done a nice job. She was still herself, but just a little bit…sharper, she supposed. Piper had brought out her cheekbones and her eyes, and the color of her lips made her mouth stand out as well. 

“Thank you, Pipes,” she said, kissing the other girl on the cheek. “I love it.”

“You are so welcome,” Piper replied, sitting down herself to do her own makeup. “Now, Annabeth, I know you told me not to mention it, but if I were you I’d want to talk about spending an evening with my ex-boyfriend for the first time in three years. Is there anything I can do to make the night easier for you?”

“You’re so sweet,” Annabeth said, shaking her head. “This is your birthday, I don’t want you worried about me! I’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

Piper swiveled in her seat to look at Annabeth, before returning to her mascara. “Jason told me that Percy said the exact same thing, verbatim. You guys still talk alike. And Beth, it’s my freaking job to worry about you! It’s in the best friend contract, page 4, paragraph 3, line 6. Friends who don’t worry,” Piper said, her eyes narrowing at Annabeth even as they looked at each other in the mirror, “are wrong.” 

Annabeth smiled. “Thank you, Piper. Thank you for worrying about me, thank you for asking me, and thank you for inviting us both to this event, because that’s what you want. I’m grateful that you’re still asking for what you want and not just deciding for me. I appreciate that. I’m just…” Annabeth blew out her breath. “It hurts to look at him, you know?” Piper nodded sympathetically. 

“I have never been as close to another human being as I was to Percy Jackson while we were dating,” Annabeth continued. “Not my own family, not my friends, no one. And then, he chose to go save the world again, which I can’t even really fault him for, not really. Of course he had to save the world. And I almost… I almost reached back out to him, the first few months of the breakup. But then I saw that his cohost was freaking Calypso and I lost it. Out of all the people who could have been his cohost! And the gossip magazines said that they were dating and I just couldn’t…I just couldn’t.”

“Oh, Annabeth,” Piper breathed. “I didn’t know you saw the gossip magazines. I wish you’d talked to me about them.”

“Of course I saw the gossip magazines! They were everywhere. They still are everywhere. And every time they go to highbrow international events together, he’s in a suit and she’s in some gorgeous cocktail gown, looking perfect, there they are, trying to save the world together. Just like…just like he and I used to do, except we were always sweatier and bloodier and there were never any cocktails involved.” Annabeth had begun pacing at this point, “And now, and now he’s home, and I still can’t touch other men, still don’t even really want to, still fucking dream about him, still miss him like an ache. But I can’t tell him that, not when he left and didn’t reach out for three years, and has been parading around all that time with another woman!” she finished, nostrils flaring. 

“Not another woman, Beth. A nymph. Big difference.”

“So it’s true then? They were together? They might be together now?”

Piper shrugged. “Not sure. I never saw him that long whenever we hung out. And to be honest with you, I never asked because I didn’t want to know the answer. I probably would’ve thrown something at him and had a full on meltdown on your behalf if he’d said they were.”

“Did he bring her? When you’d hang out?”

“Eh. Sometimes. Sometimes not. When she was there they’d never, like, touch each other or anything. If I’m honest with you, Annabeth, I kind of doubt they were ever together. In a serious way, at least.”

Annabeth turned to look at her. “Why do you say that?”

“Because Percy’s heart has always belonged to you, and for all his faults, I think he’s emotionally mature enough not to throw himself at another woman—well, nymph, as the case may be—simply because he has a broken heart.” 

“Aghhhh,” Annabeth cried. “Then why didn’t he ever reach out to me?”

Piper nodded. “That’s the million dollar question, I agree. Perhaps we’ll find out. In fact, I hope we will. Speaking of which, what’s the game plan, tiger? What Annabeth will you be tonight? Are you going to ignore him? Acknowledge him but treat him indifferently? Be kind but not solicitous? Full on flirt? You’ve got to decide before you get there so you’re not a walking disaster.”

At this, Annabeth snorted. “Rachel? Is that you? Your advice is impeccable, O Wise One.”

“Be serious,” Piper replied. “You of all people understand how important plans are. Don’t try to kid a kidder.”

“You’re right,” Annabeth sighed. “What do you think looks best on me? Polite, but largely disinterested?”

Piper nodded. “Yes. You called it. That is indeed one of your best looks, although as your best friend I feel obligated to note that you have many. Now, let us turn to our actual looks, because as we all know those are more important. What dress are you wearing? I assume you’re going to wear Leo’s cool sandal/heels. Ugh, I hope he gives me a pair of those tonight, they really are the most useful thing ever invented.”

“True,” Annabeth agreed. “I was thinking of going for my black dress with the gold beading. The dress we bought together that one time, that you said brought out my hair.”

Piper laughed. “I’m so glad you came to that conclusion, because frankly, Annabeth, if you hadn’t said you were gonna wear that one I’d have forced you to wear it anyways.”

“How’d you know I’d bring it tonight?”

Piper smiled. “I trust you. Not to do my makeup, but to wear the right dress on a night like tonight.” 

Annabeth huffed. “Thanks for the confidence, McLean.”

“You guys nearly ready?” Jason called in. “You finished writing your novels in there? Watching your socks dry? We’re going to be late!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Piper called back. “I am the birthday girl, and, like Zeus himself has always said, birthday girls are never late.”


	4. Dinner Pt 1

Percy couldn’t remember the last time he was this nervous. And he’d fought in several wars and negotiated with gods and heads of state alike, so that was saying something. He really, really wanted this night to go well with a kind of desperation that scared him a little bit. He was completely petrified of how Annabeth would act given their last few encounters, and how he would handle it, especially on Piper’s special night in front of all their friends. 

Outside the restaurant, Percy fiddled with the sleeves of his suit. He had gotten used to wearing them over the last two years, but it suddenly felt very wrong. Too big, or too small, or something. 

The car pulled up too soon, with Piper, Jason, and Annabeth inside. 

“Percy!” Piper squealed as she sashayed towards him. “It’s been too long! Welcome back to NYC!”

“Happy birthday, Pipes!” Percy laughed, hugging her. 

“Hey man,” Jason said, shaking his hand, then following Piper into the restaurant. 

Then there was Annabeth. Gods, she looked…gorgeous. Percy swore she was actually glowing, with her hair and the beads on her dress catching in the city lights. He couldn’t believe she was standing here in the flesh, warm and breathing, after so many days and nights of imagining her. She looked…

“Pulchritudinous,” he whispered.

“Excuse me?” Annabeth said in a level tone. He was grateful she hadn’t punched him in the face yet.

“Nothing,” Percy responded, embarrassed. It was a word Annabeth had taught him, when they had studied together for the SAT. They had laughed over it for far too long, because the word sounded so hideous and complicated, but really just meant beautiful. They had thought it was ridiculous that the word played everyone like that, and it had become one of their inside jokes for a while. And it always made him think of Annabeth, after that. Intimidating on the outside, but the definition of beauty when you got to know her, inside and out. 

He rolled his eyes at himself. Get it together, Jackson. She hates you. 

He opened the door, which had fallen shut after their friends, trying as he might to regain any sense of decorum or control, “After you.” 

She gave him a tight nod, and Percy had the unpleasant experience of walking into a restaurant behind his model gorgeous ex-girlfriend in a short black dress. It wasn’t just that her legs went on for miles, or that they were perfectly toned and battle strong, faint white scars criss-crossing them if you looked close enough, or that Percy’s ADHD mind was in overdrive as it brought up image after image of him putting his mouth on each of those scars, higher and higher, blessing each mark on her skin because they meant that she was still alive, still with him. It wasn’t even that he seemed to have perfect recall of the sounds she made, the sounds accompanying those memories, or the feel of her fingers slipping through his hair. It was the way that heads turned to look at her as she entered the room. 

Percy recent flirtation with mortal fame meant that he had become hyper-attuned to when heads in any room were turning. It was the difference between having the night out to enjoy yourself, and having to be rushed into a taxi to escape a room full of people trying to get selfies. But people weren’t turning to look because of him this time. They were looking because Annabeth. 

Percy was no fool. Annabeth was an uncommonly beautiful woman, it was true. But the only reason that so many people were currently looking at her out of the corners of their eyes was because of the way she moved. She moved like a warrior turned Hero-of-Olympus turned dancer turned successful architect, like someone who had fought for everything she had but won each time. She didn’t walk so much as stalk, exuding power with each step. She had always had some of this confidence before, of course, but now it seemed she wasn’t afraid to show it, afraid to put it on and wear it as she might any good dress, any good armor. Beth had grown up. 

“In here, you guys!” Piper called, signaling to a back room, and pulling Percy, embarrassed, out of his reverie. Of course they had gotten a private room. If that’s what Annabeth’s presence had done to a room full of New York City’s richest diners, he didn’t want to see what a Tristan McLean appearance would do. 

“Perce!” shouted Leo. “Good to see you, man! Back from saving the world again I see?”

“Er, um, yes, I suppose so,” he said, scratching his head. He couldn’t believe he had survived two years doing public engagements if this was how he greeted his close friend, awkward footed after one compliment. “It’s really good to see you too, Leo,” he tried again, pulling the other boy into a tight hug. 

After his involvement in two great prophecies and all the near death experiences, Percy had become a hugger. Back then, when dying seemed like more of a when than an if, letting his friends know he loved them became deeply important to him. The other demi-gods around him had understood.

“Still a hugger, huh?” Valdez wiggled his eyebrows, then his expression softened. “I’m happy to see that. Missed you, my guy.”

“You too, Leo,” Percy responded. “Where’re you at these days? Still working for Apple here in the city?”

Leo nodded happily. “They have me working on their development team. It’s top secret, of course,” he said, winking, “But I get to do a lot of hands-on experimenting and creation, a mix between coding and, like, actually putting stuff together, like welding. They’ve given me a lot of leeway, and I think I’m on to something—”

“Dad!” Piper called as Tristan McLean appeared in the room. He grinned at her, and wrapped her in a bear hug. 

“Happy birthday, Pipes,” he said, kissing the top of her hair. “Now, introduce me to all your lovely friends here. It’s not everyday that a dad gets to meet all of his daughter’s friends in one place.”

“Ugh, that guy is even handsomer than he looks in the movies,” Leo whispered to Percy. “It’s honestly kind of rude. Like, leave some for the rest of us, you know?”

Percy laughed as Piper began the introductions. “You’ve met Jason, of course,”

“Unfortunately,” Mr. McLean rolled his eyes, and suddenly Percy knew where Piper got her epic eye-rolls. 

“Dad!” Piper exclaimed. “You like Jason!”

“Yes, dear,” Mr. McLean responded, winking at Jason, who had turned pink. “But as your father I feel I’m entitled to—”

“Moving on,” Piper cut him off. “This is my best friend Annabeth, who I owe my life and my sanity many times over—”

Tristan smiled warmly, “The famous Annabeth! It’s an honor,” he said, extricating himself from Piper to shake her hand. Percy’s stomach dropped a little as he watched Annabeth give her 100 watt, truly pleased smile back at Mr. McLean. It was the first time he’d seen her smile, he realized, since they’d been together. It was strange to see her happy and not be a part of that happiness. 

“—And these are my dear friends, Frank, Hazel, and Leo, whom I love very much, and of course you know all about Percy as well.” Piper giggled, rolling her eyes and stage whispering to Percy, “He’s a big fan of your show.” 

“Ah,” said Percy. “I’m—I’m happy to hear that you liked it, Mr. McLean.” He tried to not think about the fact that one of the most famous actors in America was a fan of his, and not just the other way around.

Tristan waved his hand, “Please, call me Tristan. I’m very impressed by both the message of your show and its execution, especially the way you come off on camera. If you’re ever interested in any other projects—”

“Dad!” Piper chided. “You promised you wouldn’t,” she waved her hands. “You know, do this.” 

“S’okay, Piper,” Percy cut in. “Thank you, truly, but I think I’ve had my fill of being on camera for a lifetime.”

“I know the feeling,” Tristan nodded, before turning to the rest of the group. “Shall we sit?”

The group made its way to the large table in the middle of the room, chattering as it went. 

“Please,” Tristan said as he sat next to his daughter at the table. “Order what you like, dinner and drinks are on me. I’m so happy that you are all such good friends to Piper, and it’s an honor to meet you. Plus,” he smiled warmly, “I understand that I have you lot to thank for the continued existence of the world as we know it. I think that earns you a free dinner now and then.” 

“I’ll drink to that,” murmered Leo at Percy’s shoulder as the two men took seats next to each other at the table. 

Hyperaware, Percy was relieved that he was neither directly across from or next to Annabeth, who was across the table from him to his right. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Since when had he been this hyper conscious of seating placements?

Luckily, there were enough people at the table that they could not all participate in one conversation, and little groups of chatter formed and reformed as different members of the table engaged each other. Percy allowed himself a little sigh of relief that he and Annabeth had managed to not yet wreck the evening. Also—also, it was just nice to be altogether with his friends again. It had been so long. He gazed around at them. These people had once been his world, and still were, really. They had made him into who he was, and they would never stop being important to him. 

Everyone looked happy and healthy, and he could remember a time where he never would have thought that possible. He and his friends in their mid-twenties, alive, and celebrating. He smiled to himself as Frank and Hazel talked quietly about something, Annabeth and Jason raised their voices and began debating hotly, while Piper and Tristan seemed to be teasing Leo about his perpetual lack of a girlfriend, despite his best efforts. 

Suddenly, Tristan’s focus was on him, and it seemed as though he were trying to politely bring Percy into the conversation. “So, Percy, what about you? Are you and Annabeth living together somewhere here in the city?”

Percy froze, and Piper made a sound in the back of her throat that he had never heard her make. 

“Uh,” Percy stalled, glancing at Annabeth, who had frozen too and was looking at him with widened eyes. “No, no, we’re not living together.”

“Oh,” Tristan laughed, mistaking the reason for his discomfort. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to touch on a sore subject between you. Would hate to get between a couple having words about their next steps.”

Percy could feel his pulse in his ears. He had tried so, so hard to block out thoughts about what his and Annabeth’s relationship would look like right now if he had stayed. Would they be living together? Holy fucking gods, would he be living with Annabeth? Why in the name of Hades had he passed up the chance at that future? He was having trouble breathing.

“Um,” he mumbled. “We’re not, um, together. Anymore.”

“Oh,” Tristan replied, his face falling. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“S’okay,” Percy stuttered, looking at his plate before glancing back up at Annabeth’s face. She had one eyebrow raised, looking back at him. Dropping her gaze, he turned back to Tristan McLean, desperate to salvage the situation.

“So,” he burst out. “Are you working on any film projects these days? I know you don’t, like, act anymore, but Piper mentioned that you’re getting into production…”

“Oh yes,” Tristan recovered, looking immensely relieved, delving into a discussion of the show he has started developing, something about a Helen of Troy adaption. When the rest of the table began to breathe again, he realized that the others had been holding their breath. Perhaps all that diplomatic training had paid off, after all. 

When enough time had passed for him to excuse himself to the bathroom and not look suspicious, Percy did exactly that.


	5. Chapter 5

Unfortunately for him, he was accosted on the way to the restroom by one of the restaurant’s other patrons, a young woman he’d never seen before.

“Hi,” she said, smiling up at him. “You must be Percy Jackson. My friends over there said it couldn’t be you,” she rolled her eyes. “But I knew it was. I’m Brooklyn Jameson,” she concluded, although her name was supposed to mean something to him.

Percy had encountered this kind of thing before. It seemed, among the mortal famous bracket, that they all knew each other and expected him to know them all too, now that he was one of them. Well, kind of one of them, anyway.

“Er, nice to meet you, Brooklyn,” Percy responded.

She nodded her acknowledgement. “Well, I know we’ve never met before, but my sister’s best friend is friends with Calypso’s cousin, who’s like a sister to her, and, well, I just thought that you might be interested in connecting. We might find ourselves at similar events, one of these days.”

“Right,” Percy said, his eyes narrowing, as if he’d ever be interested in attending another ‘event’ in his life that didn’t have to do with saving the ocean.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, lighting up. “You know what? I’m having a party after this, at my house on the Upper West Side at 11 if you’re interested. It’s just a small group of friends, but, you know, could be a nice way to get introduced to people now that you’re moving back to the city.”

Percy had to fight down the rising panic that he usually did, as soon as random strangers started to list off details of his private life that must have been published in a magazine somewhere. 

“Wow, thank you so much, Brooklyn, but I’m at a friend of mine’s birthday party tonight and I—”

“S’okay,” she responded, shrugging. “I’ll give you my number in case you decide to change your mind,” she dug through her purse while Percy glanced around awkwardly, hoping no one else was witnessing this. 

“Here,” she grinned at him. “In case you ever want to hang.”

“Thank you so much. That’s really kind of you,” Percy tried for a genuine smile.

“See you around,” she waggled her fingers at him.

“See you around,” he repeated back to her, before quickly turning the corner to the restrooms. He nearly smacked into Annabeth emerging from the ladies’ room. A curse died in his throat.   
“Smooth as ever, I see, Jackson,” was her only comment as she maneuvered around him, her face impassive. 

“Annabeth, wait,” Percy grabbed her wrist and spun her to face him before he knew what he was going to say. She looked up at him, expectant, and his neurons ceased to fire.

She waited. “Yes?”

“Listen, I—I miss you,” like a fucking ache, every fucking second of my life, he didn’t add. “I’d like to try to be friends,” at least, he didn’t add. I will never stop hoping for something more, he didn’t add. “You mean so much to me and I’d still like to be a part of your life, if you’d let me. We started out as friends, maybe we could be again.”

Her face was pleasant, bemused even as she looked at him. “Percy,” she said, her voice even. “It sounds like you’re trying to break up with me again. Why are we having this conversation right now, at our friend’s birthday party? You had three years to say that to me.” 

“Annabeth,” he ran his hands over his face. “You broke up with me, remember? You specifically asked me not to reach out to you. And I haven’t. I’ve honored your request. You can’t demand I do something and then be furious when I actually follow through with it.” 

“Please don’t tell me how I can and cannot feel, Percy,” she said quietly, eyes narrowing to slits. “If you’ll excuse me, I am going to get back to my best friend’s birthday party,” she turned on her heel and began making her way back to the party.

“Beth,” he said desperately, “Please, I—”

“Don’t,” she said dangerously over her shoulder. “Ever. Call me that again.” 

**

The rest of the night had passed relatively without incident, Annabeth reflected as she walked to get lunch by herself on Monday, her earbuds in. She had gotten to know Mr. McLean, who seemed wonderful, and she hoped she made a good impression on him as well. It had been good to see everyone, and even her altercation with Percy had been short-lived and relatively civil. She was happy that everyone seemed so stable and healthy. It was a miracle, really, not only what they had accomplished together but that they had all survived. 

And, in some cases, thrived. Annabeth was also very proud of accomplishing her mission that night. Jason had enlisted her to distract Piper for a good fifteen minutes as they went to go choose a dessert for the table, while he got Mr. McLean alone. Jason had told her he didn’t want to ask, exactly, because that would imply that he didn’t think he and Piper had the right to make that decision themselves. He did, however, want to tell Mr. McLean of his intentions, and Piper’s father had been overjoyed. Annabeth smiled to herself. She couldn’t be happier for them. Plus, it meant Piper would be moving to New York and—

There was a scream from two blocks ahead. Annabeth pulled her knife out from where she kept it strapped to her hips, under her billowy work pants and ran. Mortals streamed past her, and she ran harder. 

There. Two hydras, in the middle of Manhattan. The middle of Manhattan? Annabeth turned off her questions and ran harder. She was suddenly intensely grateful for all those training sessions with Jason at the gym.

“Run!” she heard a familiar voice yell, as he waved his hands at two middle-school aged children. They must be half-bloods, she thought. 

“Percy,” she yelled. “I’m here to help.”

“Got it,” he yelled back, as he dodged one hydra head. “You take left, I’ll get right.”

Annabeth focused on the hydra on the left, itching to put on her invisibility cap but knowing that this would only increase the chances that the hydra would focus on the screaming mortals. 

“Over here, ugly!” she called, hoping to distract it. All of its heads turned to look at her at once, and it began advancing on her. 

“Shit,” she muttered, digging through her purse. “I know I brought throwing knives somewhere in here—Ah.” Her fist closed around the four throwing knives she kept there. Dropping her purse, Annabeth sprinted towards the creature, throwing her first knife into the fleshy shoulder between two of its heads, the next slightly lower than that, closer to its chest. The monster snapped at her, but she rolled and missed its bite. From her back, she plunged a third knife into the monster’s underside, its blood dripping down on her for a moment before it disappeared into mist. 

Annabeth jumped to her feet, looking over to where Percy seemed to be in more trouble. The two kids behind him had not taken his advice, and remained firmly frozen behind him, severely restricting where he could move. He seemed to be trying to strike at the heads without cutting them off, which so far only seemed to be so successful. 

“Hey,” she cried at the monster, “Over here!” 

Two of its heads swung to look at her, and she threw her last throwing knife into the monster’s shoulder. It hissed in pain and began coming towards her, abandoning Percy and his two charges. She had only her celestial bronze knife left, and she couldn’t risk throwing it, not now. She’d have to get under the hydra somehow or distract it till Percy could—

Faster than the blink of an eye, one of the monster’s head reached out and snapped at her, and as she rolled to get away from it, another of the heads sunk its teeth into her shoulder, Annabeth cried out, her knees buckling, and the world turned to black. 

**

She woke up feeling very cold indeed, her shirt soaked and head bouncing on a familiar smelling shoulder. 

“Perce,” she said as she looked up at him, feeling woozy. “Did you get it? Are the kids okay?”

He smiled down at her, though the corners of his eyes remained tight. “Yes, I stabbed it, but too late—”

“Oh my gods, did it get one of the kids? Are they going to be okay?” she said, clutching his shirt with her good hand.

“Yes, Annabeth, I left them with one of their other teachers. We’re just lucky that those hydras never got inside the school,” he shook his head. “I meant that I was too late to keep it from hurting you.”

“Oh,” she said in a small voice. “I don’t want to look. Percy, how bad--?”

“I’m taking you to my mom’s. She’ll have ambrosia there and we can get you cleaned up,” he responded, not meeting her eyes. 

“Just like the old days,” Annabeth giggled, feeling slightly drunk. “I missed your mom. She’s a real mom, you know? Not like those fake moms out there.”

Percy looked more concerned by the minute. “Yes, I’m very lucky.” 

“Not just you,” she looked at him accusingly. “She’s my mom too. We just, we just haven’t talked in a few years. But that doesn’t stop real moms from real momming you,” Annabeth giggled again, settling against his shoulder. 

“Percy,” she said, so he’d look at her. “Why is your shirt all wet? It’s a nice color on you, the deep red. You never used to own shirts in this color,” she frowned. 

“I still don’t,” he muttered. 

“Hmm,” she responded noncommittally, closing her eyes. “Wake me up when we get there.”

“Annabeth,” Percy said in a voice tinged with panic. “Why don’t you, ah, tell me more about your life, here, while we’ve got the time. What kinds of projects are you working on at work? When did you start dancing? How long have you been helping Jason plan his proposal?”

“Percy,” she glared at him. “I am very, very tired and very cold. It’s very dark and it’s getting hard to see. Why are you asking me these questions right now? Be a gentleman and ask a girl out to coffee at a normal hour if you’re so curious.”

“It’s mid-afternoon,” he responded, alarmed. “Please Annabeth, I’m super curious, I need you to keep talking to me, please.”

“Oh,” was all she could think of. The world started to look very strange indeed, the colors dulling. It was strangely hard to breathe, and she was so, so cold. Suddenly concerned for her safety, she scrutinized the stranger holding her. She squinted up at him, “You look familiar. Where did we meet again?” 

“Um, just, uh, tell me about your life,” he responded, distracted, and her head began to bump against his shoulder a little faster.

“That hurts,” she whined, closing her eyes again, hoping it would block out the headache that had started creeping up on her.

“Annabeth, your life, please,” the man said, his words underlined with urgency. “Just a few more blocks.”

Annabeth sighed. “Okay. I work. I dance. I fight with Jason. Not like, fight fight,” she giggled suddenly. 

“I like Jason. We’re friends. He’s going to marry Piper,” she whispered, confiding. “Isn’t that so exciting? My friends are going to be married, and everything. I hope Piper asks me to be her bridesmaid. She’s my best friend and I love her very much,” she squinted up at the person holding her once more. 

“I bet you’d like her,” she continued. “Maybe I can introduce you and you can come to the wedding too! I’d ask her to be my bridesmaid, if I were going to get married. But I’m not now, I don’t think,” she sighed sadly. “I broke up with the love of my life. He was going to leave me for three years, so I broke up with him. Can’t get married now.” 

“Thanks for carrying me,” she changed the subject. “I’m sure I’ll be happy to meet you when I wake up. You must be able to see through the mist, or maybe you’re a half-blood like me!” she giggled again, before turning serious. “Can you see? I’m having trouble seeing, and I have this horrible pain in my chest, like I’ve been stabbed. It’s hard to breathe. Can we go to the hospital? I don’t think this is right. But maybe,” she gasped. “I’m dreaming. I dream a lot of horrible things. Maybe this is one of them.” 

She considered this. “But Percy is always in my dreams, no matter what, no matter where I am, so I can’t be dreaming. You’d like Percy,” she said, nodding to herself. “Everyone likes Percy.”

Her head started to bump differently on the stranger’s shoulder, as though he were walking up stairs. She was dizzy and sick to her stomach, and she focused on trying not to vomit all over this poor stranger carrying her. The air felt strange on her skin.

“Annabeth, Annabeth, stay with me now,” she could hear along with frantic knocking on a door. 

“S’loud,” was all she could muster. 

“Percy, oh my gods,” a woman’s voice cried.

“Ambrosia, Mom,” a man’s voice came. “Please. She’s lost so much blood. I don’t know how she’s stayed conscious this long.” 

Annabeth’s world went dark. 

**

Annabeth woke to excruciating pain in her shoulder, in her chest, and to a man shaking her awake. 

“Please, Beth, I need you to swallow this for me,” the voice pleaded.

Annabeth began sobbing. “Can’t—breathe,” she ground out between sobs.

“I have something that will help you breathe better. I’m going to need you to swallow it, okay?” 

She felt something pressed against her lips. She opened her mouth as much as she could, trying her best to swallow whatever it was. She got it down, and her breaths became slightly easier almost instantly.

“Thanks,” she murmured, already halfway back into the darkness.

“Help is on the way, Beth,” she heard the voice say. “You’re going to be okay.”


	6. Chapter 6

Annabeth woke slowly. Light filtered in through a window, and the bed smelled delightfully familiar, like the beach. She snuggled down into it, the smell relaxing her in a way she couldn’t remember relaxing in a long while. 

“Mmmm,” she hummed. It was kind of like hugging him, being wrapped in his scent. She hadn’t hugged him in so long.

“Beth?” a familiar voice asked from far away. “Are you awake? How are you feeling?”

“Is Percy here?” she asked. “Smells like him,” she finished, before settling back down into the pillows. 

“I’m here,” a voice whispered by her side as she lost her grip on the world once more. “As I’ve always wanted to be.” 

**

When Annabeth woke again, it was evening. This time, she recognized her surroundings as Percy’s childhood bedroom. Her stomach dropped. She had never expected to be back here. 

The specifics of the hydra fight returned to her, how she’d been bitten before Percy could stab the monster. She looked down at herself. Her shoulder and chest were bandaged heavily, and she wore no shirt and a pair of Percy’s sweatpants. Someone had wrapped a bandage around her breasts, as well, presumably so that she could move about without having to try to get into a t-shirt, which she appreciated. 

Annabeth sighed. This was really not what she had wanted for herself, but she supposed she was lucky to be alive. She rose from the bed, her body screaming, and padded to find Percy. Best to get it over with. 

He was standing over the skillet in the kitchen, humming to himself, in black sweatpants and a blue t-shirt, his back muscles standing out against the fabric that Annabeth knew for a fact to be soft. She slapped herself mentally. 

“Perce,” she said softly, leaning against the counter facing him. 

“Annabeth, gods!” he exclaimed, dropping his spatula and rushing towards her, holding her to him. 

Annabeth was right. The shirt was incredibly soft, and Percy smelled like Percy and his hands were on her lower back and he was hugging her, really truly hugging her and—

He pulled away, holding her face in his hands. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” his voice broke a little bit. “I know we’ve had scares before in, like, actual wars and stuff, but that was pretty bad. You lost so, so much blood. I’ve never seen anyone lose that much blood and make it before,” he babbled, before holding her again, his face buried in her neck. “I’m so, so sorry I didn’t get there earlier,” he said against her skin before stepping back. “How are you feeling?”

She gave him a thin lipped smile. “Been better, been worse.”

He nodded at her, understanding. 

“Did someone from camp come to help?”

“Yeah, Chiron was here for a bit with the new Apollo cabin head. Jackie. They’re thinking of hiring her full time as a medic when she’s old enough. She’s super talented. Not sure you would’ve made it if—if—” 

Annabeth nodded. 

Percy took a breath. “Annabeth, I also wanted to thank you. I know how you’ve been feeling about me, about my return, and you didn’t have to join that fight with the hydras—”

“Seaweed brain,” Annabeth said, feeling extremely tired. “Of course I came to help you. It wasn’t even a choice in my mind.”

Percy was blinking back tears as he looked down at her, either from the use of his childhood nickname or some other emotion, Annabeth couldn’t tell. 

“I almost lost you,” he whispered. “Again.”

He picked up her hand that was resting on the counter and held it, before looking back up at her.

“Annabeth, I know—things have been incredibly difficult between us. And they’ve also been incredibly difficult for me, without you. I miss you. And I know you don’t want to be in a relationship anymore, that you didn’t want to be with someone who wasn’t going to be physically present for you. But I would really, really like to repair our friendship, if that’s okay. Realizing I could lose you again, lose you for good, even though we’re at peace now…” he trailed off.

Annabeth wiped away the tears that had begun falling down her cheeks. Part of her wanted to say no, to keep him away, to prove something to herself and to him. That she didn’t need him, that she didn’t miss him, not at all. If that hurt him…well, good. Part of her wanted him to hurt, just as she did. 

But the bigger part of Annabeth, the part that had loved and lost far too many friends to count, agreed with Percy. Even if she could only ever have him as a friend, it was better than nothing. 

“Okay, Perce,” she smiled up at him. “I’d like to be your friend as well.”

He exhaled heavily, “Oh thank the gods,” and she laughed, laughed at how clearly he relaxed, how nervous he had been, and then he was laughing too, and there they were, giggling in Sally Jackson’s blue kitchen as though nothing had changed. And in that moment, it seemed as though nothing had. 

Looking at him, at his green eyes sparkling down at her, Annabeth was hit with the full force of how much she had missed him, had craved his presence and his laughter and his companionship and his touch. She was in so, so much trouble. 

“Movie night?” he asked. She raised her eyebrow at him. They were friends again, and that was the first thing he asked her?

“As much as I love to see you laughing, I’m worried about your stitches. And you upright in general. So, movie? Your pick.”

He was too freaking good. She waved her hand, both at him and herself. “No, you pick. I’m going to fall asleep a quarter of the way through, I can feel it. Still got injury exhaustion.” 

“Oh,” he replied. “Want to just get back in bed, then? Rest up?”

“Nope. Let’s watch a movie! Your pick.” Annabeth tried really hard to convince herself that she was agreeing because she wanted to watch a movie, not because she wanted to spend more time near Percy, just the two of them, the first time in forever. 

“Pirates of the Carribbean it is!” he proclaimed. “Here, you can lie on the couch, what with your injuries and all. I’ll take the floor.” 

She made a sound of protest, patting the couch next to her. “Room enough for two, Percy.” 

“By the way,” she said as he sat down next to her and fiddled with the remote. “What day is it?”

He turned to face her. “Thursday.”

“Thursday?! I’ve been out for three days? Oh my gods. I need to call into work, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that first! I have a big project due in two weeks,” she gasped, her eyes widening, her heartbeat speeding up.

“I called Piper and she took care of it. She let your co-workers know that you got into an accident, and that we weren’t sure if you were going to be okay. But then she updated them yesterday, when it seemed like you were going to get better. We told them you’d likely be in again next week sometime.” 

“Thank the gods,” Annabeth breathed. “Thank you. Thank you so much. So, Piper… knows? Has she been by?”

Percy nodded. “Yes, everyday in between job interviews. She’s been so worried…”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute. Don’t you have a job, too? Teaching?”

Percy looked at her sheepishly. “Yeah. That’s why we’re in this mess in the first place. I work at that public school where the hydras showed up. I’ve got two half-bloods in my Latin I class, twins, and I’ve been trying to protect them, but as you saw, there’s two of them and they tend to draw double the monsters.”

Annabeth nodded. “I remember talking about them vaguely as you were carrying me away, you said that they’re okay?”

Percy froze for a half second, before carrying on. “Erm, yeah. They’re okay. I told Chiron about them, and after he made sure that you were okay, he went to visit them and asked if they’d like to be year-round campers.” 

“And did they accept? Newest members of Camp Half-Blood?”

“I think they did, yeah.”

“Oh good,” Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m not sure I want to repeat that little scene. But what about your work?”

“Took the week off,” he said, waving his hand through her glare. “C’mon, Annabeth. You risked your life for my students. Did you really think I was going to not make sure you were okay?”

“You could’ve left me here by myself. It’s not like I was doing anything.”

He rolled his eyes. “Who do you think fed you and changed you and gave you ambrosia and made sure you were still breathing?”

Annabeth turned bright red at the thought of him changing her. She was suddenly furious again, at the thought that she had been so vulnerable, that he had been so intimately close to her while she was unconscious. 

“Not changed you like that,” Percy cut in quickly, as though he could read Annabeth’s thoughts. “Piper did, well, that part. We bought, uh, adult diapers, and she, well, she was in charge. I just did the, you know, the wound part.” 

“I’ll be sure to thank her when I see her,” Annabeth said tightly. Truly, she was grateful, but it was also incredibly embarrassing to be so dependent and so vulnerable with her friends. 

“Annabeth,” he said, his voice dropping. “I know it’s not fun, and it’s embarrassing, I’ve been there. And I know, it must suck extra because of what’s gone on between—well, between us. But you’d do the same for me, and for Piper, and don’t even try to argue because it’s true.”

Annabeth open and shut her mouth again, nodding at him. She forced herself to swallow her pride. “Well, in that case, thank you. It seems like I owe you my life. Again.”

He shook his head, giving her a half smile. “I think we’re even on that score. Not sure I would’ve made it out of there without you.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Annabeth,” he said carefully, as though remembering something. “What else do you remember about our conversation on our way here?”

“Not much, why? I remember talking about the kids, I remember your shirt, how red it was…” Annabeth trailed off. “Oh. That was—”

“Yeah,” Percy confirmed.

“Holy gods. You were not exaggerating, were you?”

“Nope.”

“Gods damn it. I make it through two world wars and it was almost a hydra that did me in. Kind of embarrassing, wouldn’t you say?”

He met her gaze, an inscrutable expression on his face. “Never.” 

She swallowed. “On second thought, do you think you could choose a movie with absolutely no violence in it whatsoever? A nice family drama? I’m not sure I can stomach any more swords or supernatural creatures.” 

“Course. Anything for you, B—” Percy cut himself off, turning immediately to flipping through movies. What had he been about to say? Beth? Babe? Fuck.

“Percy?” Annabeth asked, her voice quiet.

“Yeah?” he turned to look at her once again.

“Thank you. For bringing me back here, for taking care of me, all of it.”

“Of course,” he said, his brow furrowing. “It’s like you said, it wasn’t really a choice.”

“I know but—but I’ve been pretty sharp these last few times we’ve seen each other and I know it can’t have been easy…”

“S’okay. I understand.” 

Annabeth’s heart nearly broke in two. Of course he understood. He always fucking did. 

He gave her one of the smiles that always used to make her heart race, back when they were together. “Friends?” he said, sticking his hand out to shake.

“Friends,” she shook, hating herself a little bit. Could she deal with having him as her friend? Annabeth wasn't sure, but she also knew that friendship was the path of least resistance and she was so, so tired. 

As predicted, by a quarter of the way into “Clueless,” Annabeth could feel herself slipping into sleep, curled up on the couch beside Percy. She vaguely felt him lift up her feet and place them on his lap, so that she could stretch out fully on the couch. In the back of her mind somewhere, she reminded herself to lie flat on her back so as not to disturb her injury, before succumbing to the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

The next time Percy saw Annabeth, he was at the stove again. 

“Morning,” she yawned, and he whipped around. Her hair was in a wild bun, still half shirtless with the bandages over her chest, and she looked so soft, she practically glowed in the morning light. Percy shook himself mentally. 

“Annabeth! You’re up! I wasn’t sure if you’d need some more serious sleep time before you were…you know…back on a normal schedule.” He scratched his neck. “Anyways, how’re you feeling?”

“Better than yesterday. I’m feeling like I could go home today and not keel over on the Subway. And that way, I can get out of your hair and you can go back to work.”

“Today’s Friday. Tomorrow’s the weekend and then work won’t matter in any case. And you know you shouldn’t be alone for a few more days at least. I understand if you’re uncomfortable here, so I get wanting to leave, but if you do, I’ll call Piper and tell her to live at your apartment this weekend to babysit you and make sure you don’t fall over.” 

“Oh Gods. This weekend is Piper’s dress fitting! I can’t ask her to do that. And I was supposed to be there!”

Percy shrugged. “She mentioned to me that you might be mad at yourself, and told me to relay that you shouldn’t be. You’ll be alive to stand next to her at the altar and that’s what matters to her.” 

Annabeth groaned and put her hands over her face. She peeked out from behind her fingers at him. “You ever feel like a trash friend?”

“All the time. Life of a demi-god.” 

“Thank you, Percy, really, for all the hospitality. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it or how nice,” she swallowed audibly, “it’s been to be in this apartment again. But I can’t let Piper down again. I told her I’d be there, and it means a lot to me to show up when I say I will.” 

Percy nodded. Hadn’t that been why she broke up with him? Because she’d wanted assurance that he’d show up for her, no matter what? If he’d lived Annabeth’s life… and he was looking to settle down with someone, he might feel the same way.

“Okay,” he replied. “Please, Annabeth, though, please please keep me updated on how you’re doing. And if anything starts to feel worse, promise me you’ll call.”

Her lips quirked up to that half smile he loved and had so missed. He had to resist the urge to run his fingers along it. “I will. Truly, truly, thank you again.”

He rolled his eyes. “Like you would’ve done differently. But the dress fitting’s not till tomorrow AND I’d like to keep an eye on you for one more day AND you should give your stitches a little more time AND I’ve already taken off work, so what do you say to another day of movies?” He hoped she was still moved by his puppy eyes.

“If you insist.” 

It seemed that she was.

The rest of the day flew by as if no time had passed between them at all. Percy found himself wondering, over and over again, does she still…? Does she still love her popcorn with chocolate melted on top? Does she still make that specific face when she talks about architecture? Does she still make me laugh like no one else? Does she still have that little scar above her wrist, and the one over her right elbow? Is she still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes upon? Does she still make me feel like I’m coming home? Like she understands in a way no one else can? Is she every bit as brilliant and caring and resilient as I remember? 

And Percy can’t help but answer yes, over and over again. Yes. 

He notices the little ways she’s changed, too. How she seems more comfortable with herself, and with moving through the mortal world. How she talks casually about making new friends now. Her newfound love for dance. How she doesn’t seem to be at all ashamed about still going to therapy. How her eyes seem just a little less haunted. Still sad, but less haunted. The biggest change, though, is how she looks at him. Her face is closed, even as they talk about themselves, even as they laugh together. And he misses her. 

His brain wanders in the quiet moments, and when he looks at her, somewhere in his mind whispers, if we could…would we still…? If we could get there, would we still fit together so well that it felt like music? 

*  
Too soon, Annabeth leaves to go back to her apartment. 

“See you, Seaweed Brain,” she smiles up at him.

“At the rehearsal dinner,” he nods, his heart skipping a beat at the thought. “Two weeks!”

“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe we’re old enough to have friends getting married!” She shakes her head, before smiling again. “See you there. And thank you again.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angsty vibes only

Percy had always loved Camp Half Blood in the summertime, but now, under the faerie lights strung up for the wedding, it was paradise on earth. Piper and Jason had wanted an evening wedding at the beach, and it was magnificent. 

Except for the part where Percy had to walk down the aisle with Annabeth at a beach wedding at Camp Half-Blood, because she was the Maid of Honor and he was the Best Man. It was almost too painful to take, like a twilight zone where they could see their future in front of them but couldn’t quite have it. But after that little thirty second stretch when Percy lost his breath at the sight of her, again, and had to touch her as they walked down the aisle, the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Except. Except Jason and Piper hadn’t wanted to do their first dance all by themselves, because they didn’t want everyone’s eyes on them alone. So they had asked the wedding party to dance with them. And. And of course Percy had been placed with Annabeth. It was cruel. But Jason had asked if it was okay, and Percy couldn’t very well say no, especially because he and Annabeth were theoretically friends now, and he didn’t want to cause problems. 

So here he was. At the reception. 

Percy approached her as if in a trance, and Annabeth mirrored him, their eyes fastened together. She was so achingly beautiful in her dusky pink wedding gown, her hair and her gown dancing in the breeze. Percy had never stopped feeling pulled towards her, not once in three years, and he certainly didn’t stop now. For him, Annabeth had her own magnetism. 

He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as she slid one arm around his shoulders and one hand into his. The other dancers also began to step up to one another, and Piper and Jason were already in the middle of the dance floor. 

Percy put his other hand on her lower back, pulling her to him, their eyes never leaving one another’s. It had been so long since they had been in a position like this, so long since he’d had his hands on her in any kind of romantic setting. She was his, for one dance, and Percy would be damned if he didn’t make the most of it. 

He knew the entire crowd was looking at them, waiting to see what would happen, once the most famous couple at Camp Half Blood, separated. He didn’t give a damn. 

“Beth,” he breathed, looking down into her eyes, and for once she didn’t protest the use of her nickname. She just looked up at him, her eyes wide, pupils enormous, her face opening for him in a way it hadn’t for almost three years. Percy’s heart stopped for a moment, looking at her. 

The song began and they pushed off, waltzing together, the lights whirling around them as they went, soft golden glow reflecting off of Annabeth’s hair. When they had practiced the dance, they had each been rigid, careful not grasp each other too tightly or too close. Now, with Annabeth looking at him like that, each time Percy spun her, he held her closer when she came back in. She leaned into him, clung to him, held him tightly back, as though she could feel it too: that this dance might be the only time they could be together without their past between them. 

So she danced, as he had only seen her do once before, at the YMCA. He spun and held his hands out for her at the right moments, but mostly Annabeth did all the work. It hadn’t been nearly this personal in practice, but now it felt like to him that Annabeth was dancing their story, their love story, here and then gone again, the weight of their burdens forcing them apart. It was hard to breathe, watching her, touching her, looking into her eyes when she was wearing it so clearly for the first time in so long, wearing her love for him. 

He knew. He knew what Annabeth Chase’s love looked like, and she was showing him, right here, right now, that it hadn’t gone anywhere. 

He did the only thing he could: he showed her back, showed her on his face what it had been like to love and to lose her, and yet to love her still. He let his expression be honest for the first time in three years, let his body touch the woman he had been craving all that time, his hands splayed on her waist, running along her back and her arms, holding her. Cherishing her. This might be his last chance, and so he showed her. 

When the song finished, they stood panting, facing each other. Percy raised a hand to cup her cheek. 

“Percy,” she breathed, her eyes electric on his. He leaned down to brush his lips against her temple before turning away. It was the most physically painful thing he had ever done. 

*

Away from the festivities, Percy sat facing the water, close enough that he could see the lights of the wedding but hear none of the music. He could feel his heartbeat in his fingertips. 

“Percy!” a voice called from behind him. 

“Hey, Thalia,” he gave her a small smile. She was in her signature black pants and black shirt, but even those looked fancier than normal. Even Hunters dressed up for their brothers’ weddings, he supposed. 

“You know, I’d ask you what you were doing out there but I already know,” she said, sitting down beside him. “You left too quickly to see the faces of the audience, but man, you should’ve seen them. Every single set of eyes under that tent were on you and Annabeth. No one watched Jason and Piper, not even Jason and Piper. Even they were watching you two. You know, now that I’m saying this, I wonder if the entire dance was some elaborate plot of Piper’s.” She shook her head. “Jaws were literally on the floor. Your mom cried. The room was silent for a full thirty seconds after you left, while Annabeth just watched your retreating back and the entire room stared at where you had been standing. It was quite possibly the most dramatic thing I have ever witnessed and--” 

“Thalia,” Percy cut her off. “Why are you telling me this? You know I don’t give a shit how it looked.” 

Thalia sighed. “Because it was physically painful for everyone in that room to watch the sheer amount of love you two have for each other. Please put us all out of our misery.”

“Your misery? What about my misery? You think I want to be miserable?” He took a deep breath. “Annabeth is it for me. She is the only person there will ever be for me. And I thought, when she was breaking up with me, that maybe taking a break would be for the best. Especially after all we went through in Tartarus, it would give us space to learn to be healthy by ourselves, and that being healthy ourselves would make us even healthier together. It would give us space to realize how much we want to be together, no matter what, even if we can’t be physically. And I did realize that, unequivocally, while I was away. And I wanted to call her, each and every day. But I also wanted to respect her wishes. And now—now I don’t know if I could handle another rejection. What if—what if I really can’t be with her, like, ever?” 

Thalia rolled her eyes. “Did you see the way she danced with you? The way she looked at you?”

“Yes, but—”

“Percy, has anyone given you updates on Annabeth while you’ve been away?”

“I’ve asked, and asked and asked, but everyone only gives me vague answers, as if they’re worried I’ll get hurt. I wondered if maybe she was seeing someone else, or…”

Thalia snorted. “Yeah, Perce, she tried. She went on like, four dates last year. She called Piper each and every time the dude tried to kiss her, sobbing. Like breakdowns on public transit kind of sobbing. All I’m saying is, if she’s it for you, you’re probably it for her too. So you can both be miserable alone, or you can accept that your lives together will be hard and one of you might die young and get together already.”

“Thalia,” Percy said softly. “Annabeth and I didn’t just break up because the other might die young, and because our life together would be hard. We talked everything over before Annabeth finally ended things. We broke up because we both want to start a family. And we worried that if one or the other of us dies young, or gods forbid, both of us…well, that’s no way to bring children into the world. Part of the thinking was that if we could settle down with mortals, or at least less powerful demi-gods, we might both have better chances at stable families. Less chance of bringing the violence home than if we are together. We attract violence like we’re magnets when we’re together, no matter how old we get. Of course,” he scratches his chin, “all our logic is complete bullshit if you think about the fact that we wanted to start a family together, and not with anyone else.” 

“So the breakup,” Thalia said slowly, “was partially to see if it was possible for either of you to make a go of things with other people? Because neither of you want your children to die violent deaths? Even though their parents would be some of the best warriors the world has ever seen?”

Percy looked at her. “Yes. You heard what happened to Annabeth, recently, didn’t you? She almost died trying to help two demigods in my class. And I couldn’t help but think, as she almost bled out in my literal arms, that we were right. All it took was two freaking hydras, not even a war, not even Tartarus, and I almost lost the love of my life. Part of me wonders if it wasn’t even the demigods in my class that drew the monsters. Part of me wonders if it was the fact that Annabeth and I were within a few blocks of each other.” He shakes his head. “You should’ve seen us trying to go on dates, after the war. It was worse even than it was when we were young. No matter where we went, what corner we turned, two more monsters sprung up where one was before. And that’s fine, when it’s just the two of us, fighting tooth and nail for each precious second. But when you think about bringing another person into it…”

“Holy shit,” Thalia whispered. “That makes much more sense. Fuck. The fucking dance. You both know how in love the other one is with you. You’re giving each other space because you want the other one to have a chance with someone else, to be able to start a family.” 

Percy looked out across the water. “Yeah. Yeah. But I don’t know how much longer I can stay away, how much more time and space I want to give her or myself. I know my choice.” 

He looked over at Thalia to see her sniffling a bit. “If you tell anyone about this, I’ll kill you,” she glared at him. “It’s just…it’s just I love Annabeth like a sister, and she deserves someone who cares about her like you do. As much as you do. I’m so proud of both of you.” She pulled out a tissue and blew her nose, honking. 

Percy raised an eyebrow. “Does running around with immortals make you so old that you carry tissues in your pocket?”

“I went to my gods-damned brother’s wedding today. So what, I came prepared? Go fuck yourself.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the dance, Annabeth

Annabeth was a dancer, yes, and she knew that dancing could be theoretically seductive, but she’d never really understood the truth of it. But that dance, with Percy… well, she understood now. It was the same feeling of raw vulnerability, that same: I want to do anything to keep being close to you, I never want this to end, let me show you with my body what you mean to me. It had made Annabeth’s head spin and her stomach tighten, and she had been unable to keep her body, her face, from showing everything. And then he had leaned down and kissed her forehead and she swore she could feel the magnetism between them, the pull, and it was everything she could do to keep from following it towards him, to him, her true north. 

And then he had turned and left. And she had understood. It was too much, the pull. It would have been too easy to lean in and kiss him, to follow her memory to his soft lips, to pick up where they had left off, all their shattered pieces still lying broken around them, nothing fixed and no foundation to build on. 

She had watched him walking away, knowing. And then Annabeth had turned to see the entire. Room. Looking. At. Her. 

She almost lost it. But she had come too far and worked too hard for an entire room filled with friends and family to watch her cry over Percy Jackson. So she turned, as the last chords of the song still barely hung in the air, to find Piper’s eyes. Piper was standing a little ways off in Jason’s arms, her jaw ajar. Annabeth lifted her arms and began to clap, hoping to remind the room what they were there for—to celebrate a steady, strong, forever love, not to mourn a broken one. And the room had followed her, clapping. 

Relieved, Annabeth had left the dance floor as soon as possible, while Piper and Jason had stayed on, welcoming new dancers as a pop tune that Annabeth vaguely recognized came on. 

Of course, as soon as she left, she found herself face to face with none other than Sally Jackson.

Annabeth mentally opened a trap door in her brain, shoved all of her negative feelings inside of the pit, and gave Sally what she hoped to be a genuine smile.

“Sally! Hello!” she said brightly. “It’s been, what, over two years now? Way too long! How are you doing?”

“Annabeth,” Sally said warmly. “You’re a beautiful dancer. I didn’t know you could dance! But of course, you always could do anything you set your mind to.” 

Despite herself, Annabeth blushed. “Thank you so much. Yes, it’s a new interest of mine, actually. But Sally, I haven’t congratulated you yet! Your newest book! The write-up in the New York Times! So amazing. I must have read every word of the review six times. And the book itself! Stunning.”

Sally smiled at her fondly. “Thank you, Annabeth. That’s very sweet of you. Yes, I’m very happy with how it turned out, and I’m lucky my publisher is so good at what she does! And you yourself, young lady, haven’t been without your own Times articles. I’ve seen what they’ve written about your new projects.” Sally reached out to touch her arm softly. “I follow everything they write about you, Annabeth. And I want you to know that I’ll always be proud of you, no matter what.” Sally gave her a significant look, before repeating softly, “No matter what.”

Annabeth smiled sadly at her, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Thank you, Sally. I appreciate that. I really do.” 

“Now, go have fun with your friends! What an incredible occasion.” Sally patted her arm. “Great to see you, dear. Visit me, call me, anytime. My door will always be open for you.” 

“Thank you,” Annabeth whispered quietly as Sally turned away, headed back towards her table with Paul. 

Glancing around, Annabeth could still see a few curious faces turned her way. Just a few more minutes, Annabeth thought to herself. Just a few more minutes before they lose interest in me. She made a beeline for the table where Will and Nico had their heads tilted together, grinning about something. 

“Hey, guys,” she said softly. “D’you mind if I sit here for a moment?”

Both men looked up at her knowingly. “Sure, Annabeth. How’s it going?” Will responded.

“Actually,” she replied, “D’you mind if I don’t, like, talk right now, for a minute? I just need…just need some company.”

“Of course,” Will said kindly. “Nico was just telling me more about motorcycle engines, and how they actually use physics principals similar to shadow travel.”

Annabeth couldn’t help but be intrigued. “No way? That’s wild.”

Nico nodded vigorously, “Yeah, actually—” and he was off, but Annabeth’s attention was no longer what he was saying. One Perseus Jackson had at that exact moment re-entered the tent, and he had, in a few short steps, swept Estelle into his arms and began dancing with her. It was clear how much joy they brought each other, brother and sister, that when they were together they lived in a world all their own. Percy grinned down at Estelle, and Annabeth couldn’t help but think how handsome Percy looked in his suit, how handsome Percy would always look to her, with his confidence, goofiness and kindness. She wondered idly if everyone else in the room were drawn to him like he were the sun in the universe, or if it was just her.   
“Annabeth!” Will said gently. “Annabeth--”

Annabeth blinked. “Hi, sorry Will. And truly, I’m sorry Nico. That actually sounded really interesting, and I would love to hear about it another time. I’m just…I’m actually really struggling right now, as I feel like everyone in this room can see, and I think I’m going to take a walk to clear my head, because I really do want to enjoy this night and getting to be with you guys.”

“Really, it’s no problem,” Nico responded. “We get it. Do you want us to walk with you?”

“Thanks so much, both of you, honestly. But that’s okay. I think I should walk alone for a second. I’ll be right back.” Annabeth excused herself, and both men nodded.

**

Annabeth should’ve known he’d be out on the beach, too, after their dance, but she wished she had more than a second to prepare. He came upon her as she sat staring out at the waves. It wasn’t like he was disturbing anything. She was staring at the waves, after all, and that had always, always reminded her of Percy. 

She looked at him as he approached, all long lines and dark hair. She knew she’d shown him, in that dance, how she felt. How she hadn’t been able to touch another man since he’d left. How she’s her best, well, everything, around him. How much she craved touching him like she loved him, because she did. How much she loved being next to him, in his space. How much she missed being his partner. How much she missed him. But she still had so much leftover hurt, so much leftover anger and frustration and hopelessness. She couldn’t go back to how close they’d been. Not yet, anyways. Being near him was like swallowing hot coals, but knowing that she could be near him and wasn’t was worse. 

She decided that she’d speak first. “Hey, Perce.” 

He stopped, looking at her, seeming to consider, before gesturing to the space beside her. “Mind if I…?”

She shook her head. “Please.”

He sat, and they sat silently for a moment.

“Percy,” Annabeth said softly, gathering her courage. “I’ve been thinking. Would you, maybe, like to go to lunch with me someday? As friends? Since we’re working so close? I’ve been thinking about our friendship, and I think…Well, I think,” she swallowed, finding it difficult to look at him. “I think I’d really like. To see you more often. And be your friend again.” 

She risked a glance at him. He was smiling down at her, that soft smile that lit his eyes up and brought out his dimples. It took everything she had to keep her hands down at her sides.

“Of course. Of course. I’d love that.”

Annabeth hadn’t realized she was holding her breath, but she began to breathe again. “Great!” she tried not to sound too relieved. 

“So, um,” she grasped at straws, determined to make up to him their first few interactions they’d had since his return by making things as normal and casual as possible. “Estelle has grown up so much! I can hardly believe it. She looks so cute in her little suit tonight. Excellent taste in bow ties if I’ve ever seen it!”

Percy laughed, and Annabeth was chastened to realize that she couldn’t tell if it was his nervous laugh or not. She had always been able to tell, before. 

“Actually, I get credit for that one. I bought it for her a few Christmases ago. It has little seahorses on it,” he said proudly. “It’s a bit Martha’s Vinyard, but also seahorses are awesome so,” he shrugged. “I don’t feel too badly about the fact that the seahorses are pink and the background is pale green and it’s exactly the kind of pattern that you’d see on a preppy belt.” 

Annabeth smiled in spite of herself. “It’s super cute. Does she know Jason and Piper very well? Have they been visiting?” 

Almost as soon as she asked the question, Annabeth regretted it. She tried to hold down the nausea rising in her stomach about the fact that she herself had not been visiting Estelle, despite the fact that Annabeth was one of the very first people to greet Estelle when she first came into the world. Being unable to be around Percy’s family, if she was honest with herself, was one of the hardest parts of their breakup. Sally, of course, had called her and told her she would always be welcome under the Jackson roof, no matter what her relationship with Percy looked like. And Annabeth had tried, once, to visit Sally, Paul and Estelle after Percy had left. But it was unbearable, to feel like an outsider in yet another family, this time one that had actually welcomed her and made her feel at home. Annabeth had never gone back. 

“—every few months or so, when I’ve been home,” Percy was saying, as Annabeth physically hauled herself back to the conversation at hand. “And they absolutely dote on her, of course, because how could you not, you know, it’s the Jackson green eyes, in my opinion. And the charm, too, we can’t forget that,” his eyes twinkled, then he softened. “And she loves them, too, I think. They’re family.”

Annabeth idly wondered how upset he would be if she vomited all over his beautiful suit. “Of course,” is what comes out of her mouth instead. “And where is she in school these days? She’s growing so fast!” 

“Third grade,” he said proudly. “She’s smart, too. Way smarter than I ever was.” 

“Percy,” Annabeth started, feeling familiar irritation rise up inside her. “You are smart. You know that, right?”

He smiled down at her fondly. “Yes, but not the kind of smart a teacher would ever reward, you know what I’m saying?” His smile softened. “She asked about you, you know. Estelle. She used to cry, at the beginning, wondering where we both were. Mom only told me this recently. She knew how hard it was, for me, to leave…well, everything, without worrying what I—what we—were putting Estelle--what Estelle was going through.” 

This sobered Annabeth. It had never occurred to her that Estelle, at that time only in Kindergarten, might actually be very upset to have Annabeth disappear from her life. She hadn’t realized Estelle was old enough to focus on and miss people outside her immediate family. Fuck, Annabeth thought. She’d been an idiot, focused on herself. 

Percy seemed to notice her silence. “Hey, hey, Annabeth. You needed space. Of course you needed space. I didn’t tell you that to make you feel guilty. I was just trying to tell you that she loves you, too, you know. Even if it has been a while.” 

Annabeth nodded. “It was so good to see her again tonight. I can’t quite believe how precocious and amazing she is. I mean, she was always amazing, but you can tell she’s grown up to be really thoughtful and kind.” She swallowed down her anguish on missing out on so much, bumping him with her shoulder. “Sally’s done it again!”

“Sally always does.” 

They sat together, silently, for a bit, and Annabeth found it hard to look at him. 

“We should get back,” Annabeth remarked quietly. “Celebrate with our friends on their night.”

Percy gave her a long look that Annabeth found it difficult to decipher. 

“You’re right. Let’s.” He helped her up, and Annabeth tried not to think about how long it’d been since they held hands. They headed back to the party together, not quite touching, talking quietly about what seemed to Annabeth to be the safest topics they could possibly touch on: their mutual loved ones, work, and the city that they both, once again, called home.


	10. Chapter 10

“Piper!” Annabeth cheered two weeks later. “Imissyousomuch. I know it’s only been two weeks, but still! Wait, why are you calling me from your honeymoon? This better be a short call. This is the only time in your life that I will ever be content to have your full attention on Jason. You’d better use it wisely.” 

Piper laughed. “I’m calling you because I’ve been so polite, TOO polite some would say. I have not said a peep about you and Jackson’s freaking dance, nor have I said anything about the fact that you two were spotted coming back to the party together after spending some quality time on the beach. C’mon, Annabeth. Spill.”

“Piper,” Annabeth sighed as she put the finishing touches on her makeup in the mirror, almost ready to head out to work. “Nothing happened on the beach. We chatted about our friends and family, where he’s thinking of moving into an apartment, I asked him to get lunch with me as—”

“You ASKED him to get lunch with you? YOU asked HIM to get lunch with you?! Annabeth Chase! You know this is important information. How have you been holding out on me all this time?”

“It was your honeymoon, doofus! Why would I call you up during your honeymoon to tell you that I’m getting a casual, friendly lunch with Percy as friends? That’s hardly front page news.”

“You know it freaking is. A few weeks ago, you refused to speak his name, and now you’re getting ‘casual, friendly lunch’? Not that I’m against it, but what changed?”

“He’s back now, for real. That’s what changed. I can either ignore he exists when he’s not right in front of me but then be forced to spend time with him in groups, and bump into him on the street because my luck is just that good, and have it feel like I’m having an unanesthetized root canal every time, or I can learn how to breathe while I look at him. But that’s gonna take practice. So.”

“Wow,” Piper sounded impressed. “That’s mature of you. I’m not sure I would be that mature. But I’m proud of you. Truly, I am! When’s the lunch?”

“It’s supposed to be today, actually—” Annabeth is interrupted by receiving a text on her phone. “Shit. He just texted me. He can’t do lunch anymore, something with one of his students came up. He wants to do dinner instead. Fuck! Piper, help! Tonight’s a Friday night! Did he do this on purpose to turn it into a date? Is he trying to torture me? Are Friday night dinners automatically dates? Is there any way this is platonic?”

“Breathe, Annabeth. Honestly, it’ll be okay. I think the only questions you should be asking yourself are, ‘am I free for dinner?’ and ‘do I want to see Percy today?’ and if the answer is yes to both, I really don’t think you need to overthink it. Although, I do understand why you would want to. I would overthink it too,” Piper adds, sounding worried that she’s overstepped.

Annabeth is too panicked not to be grateful for any and all advice coming her way at this moment. 

“Okay. Okay. So it’s gonna be okay. We’ll go to dinner, instead of lunch. And it will still be casual and friendly and a friend thing.”

“Yes, Annabeth.”

“And I’m going to be fine. And I’m not going to cry about it at any point today, nor am I going to bail on dinner.”

“Right,” Piper encouraged her. “And if it goes badly you never have to do it again. You can choose to pull the plug at any point. You don’t have to be friends with Percy if it turns out to be too painful.”

“Right,” Annabeth echoed. “Right.” She caught sight of the time on her wrist. “Fuck!” she cursed vehemently for the second time that morning. “I’m gonna be late for work, Pipes, I gotta go. But don’t think you’re getting out of telling me ALL about your honeymoon. Like every. Single. Detail. Got it? I hope you’re keeping a diary so you can tell me about all of it.”

“Every salacious detail, huh? Didn’t know you were interested.”

“Oh gross, Piper, not like that. The cool, touristy stuff.”

“No, you said every detail. You’re getting every detail.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“That’s fine. I’ll tell you all about it later.”

“Monster.”

Piper just laughed.

“I love you Pipes,” Annabeth said quietly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thanks, for everything. For asking. For listening. For the support.”

“And I love you. You do it for me, too, you know.”

Annabeth blinked back tears. “Bye, Pipes. Have fun out there.”

“You too. Good luck tonight.” 

***

So, Percy thought. He had expected the evening to feel perhaps more date-like than he was prepared for, given that the meal was now a Friday night dinner instead of a Friday lunch, squeezed in between both of their busy days at work. But he had carefully chosen an extremely casual restaurant for exactly that reason. He had even Googled the restaurant’s seating arrangement to make sure there were no white table cloths. He wasn’t sure why white table cloths equated to a date in his mind, but he felt strongly that he should avoid them, at all costs. 

But he had certainly not prepared for the scene that had greeted him as he entered the restaurant. At first, he hadn’t noticed anything strange, because Annabeth was sitting there, at the table, in a simple black tank top and jeans, both of which accentuated her lean, lithe body, and she had left her hair down, and it was tumbling down around her shoulders in that way that fascinated him, every time, that he could stare at, forever, and—then he noticed the man leaning over the table in front of her. Dressed as a waiter, he watched the man angle his body towards her in a way that Percy wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a waiter execute. Annabeth was raising her eyebrows at him, and the man reached up to brush his fingers against her forearm, talking animatedly about something.

“—he’s probably not that great, anyways, if he’s late, left you sitting here all alone, and, like, where’d you meet him anyways, Tinder? He probably won’t even care if you just leave now, and then come back in, like, an hour when my shift’s over, and—” 

Percy caught snitches of what sounded like a full on monologue, and he found that he’d heard enough, not liking at all the way rage spiked in his chest. He hadn’t been angry in a long, long time, and he really wanted to keep it that way. Percy’s powers were only getting stronger with age and he did not enjoy the damage control. 

“Hi, Annabeth,” he said loudly, though he was still a few steps away.

“Percy,” she looked at him, her face carefully blank. “How good of you to show up.”

“Yes, sorry I’m ten minutes late,” he dragged his hand through his hair. “One of my students was having a bit of a breakdown about—well, a lot of things, so I was a bit late getting out of there.” He glanced at the waiter, who was still standing there, looking between him and Annabeth as though they are an algebra equation he wished he could figure out. Join the club, buddy, Percy thought bitterly. 

But Percy was getting tired of this man’s presence, and he didn’t trust himself with the waiter so close to Annabeth and Riptide in his pocket, and okay, maybe he was not past his feelings for Annabeth, like, at all, but Gods, he really needed this man to go away so he could at least pretend for a little while that he was.

Percy took what he believed to be the path likely to cause the least disaster. He leaned down and kissed Annabeth on the cheek. “Thanks for waiting.” 

Annabeth’s face was stone beneath his lips, but he could hear the waiter’s mouth close with a snap and his feet shuffle as he began to walk away. Thank the Gods, Percy thought as he drew away and took his seat. 

Annabeth’s face continued to be immobile, and Percy grimaced. “Sorry about that, I wasn’t sure if he’d go away without, you know, some nudging.” A horrible thought crossed Percy’s mind. “Oh my gods. Unless, you, you know, wanted him here? If so, we can call him back, I—”

At this, Annabeth finally smiled. “You’re an idiot, Seaweed Brain. Of course I didn’t want him here.” She looked at him. “It’s tough, sometimes, pretending to be mortal, when I can’t just elbow men in the throat when they look at me wrong. I’d get taken to prison. It’s not how things are done, and well, you know, it’s…” She gave him a wicked grin and Percy’s heart skipped a beat. “It’s just too bad,” she finished. “I’ve been told I have excellent fighting form.”

Percy blinked at her. Was Annabeth… flirting with him? While simultaneously deservedly shitting on his gender? His brain scrambles to catch up, distracted. Because she did. Have great fighting form. And a great form in general, if he had to admit it. Flummoxed, Percy decided on friendly.

“You sure do. It’s saved my hide more time than I can count.” But then Percy’s brain catches up to the other things Annabeth has said. “Annabeth… I haven’t been around for a while and… it sounds like you’ve had some bad experiences? Like with men? You don’t have to tell me, but…” he trailed off.

Annabeth looks at him, impassive, for a half second and Percy’s completely spirals into all the horrible things that could possibly have happened to her in the past year. 

“Nothing bad,” Annabeth said softly. “I’ve been lucky.”

Percy allowed his blood to boil that that is what counts as “lucky” to one of the most important women in his life because the world is the way it is. And then he forces himself to refocus.

“Anyways,” Annabeth says, the sparkle re-entering her eyes. “Tell me about your kids!”

“My kids?” Percy looked at her, confused.

“The kids you go to work to teach everyday, those kids!”

“Oh,” Percy said, relieved. “Those kids,” and then brightened. “I have such an amazing class. They’re all so smart, and have so much to say. A few more troublemakers than I would like, they’re a handful, but I can’t exactly complain about that, with my past.”

“No, I suppose you can’t. They say teachers aren’t supposed to have favorites, but…any favorites?”

Percy grinned at her. “They’re all my favorite children.”

“C’mon, Seaweed Brain, I know you have favorites. You forget you’re talking to your co-teacher for swordsmanship four years running.”

And just like that, they were off. Talking about Camp, and teaching, and favorite students past and present. 

“You always did favor your siblings in the ring,” Percy teased, knowing that this would make Annabeth blow smoke out of her ears because she worked so hard not to. “And the girls.”

And to his delight, she took the bait. “I’ll have you know that someone has to favor the girls. And by ‘favor,’ if you mean, ‘train twice as hard and mentor and love with my whole heart,’ then yes, I ‘favored’ the girls. You know as well as I do that what we lack in size and strength we have to make up for in training, smarts and speed.”

Percy watched her get passionate, the way her cheeks warmed and her eyes flashed, and he couldn’t help but think how much he has missed this, missed her, the way he will do anything to get a rise out of her, the way she knows exactly what he’s doing but rises to the bait every time because she’s right and she knows it. He watched for the exact moment when she catches herself, because she always does.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at him. “But you already knew that, and you’re just trying to get a rise out of me.” 

Percy smiled at her. “I am. But tell me, now that we’re no longer at Camp, who was your favorite? You never would tell me, but I had my suspicions. My money’s on Sammie, or Fiona. The smallest with the most fight.”

“It’s a secret I’ll take with me to my grave.” She gave him a mock glare. “A good teacher never tells.”

Percy gaped at her, but before he could get in a word edgewise, Annabeth looked at him a moment, seeming to soften. 

“Perce… Do you like it? Teaching full-time? I know it’s probably much different than having your own TV show and brushing shoulders with dignitaries and, you know, changing the world.”

“I love it. I feel like I was born to be there. Be with people who are as silly and as passionate as I am. That other stuff…I loved being on the ocean, yeah, and advocating for it, but it was lonely. It was hard work, and it was necessary, but it was never what I wanted long-term. Teaching, I can see myself teaching until I am old and grey. I love working with the kids, thinking with them, watching them grow, growing with them. Guiding my students, it feels like I can help the kids who were like me, who just needed an extra adult around to listen, to get it. I love that.” Percy said equally softly. 

Annabeth was looking at him, her eyes thoughtful. “I can see that. See how teaching would be what you’re made for.”

Percy looked back at her, promising himself that whatever happened next in his life, Annabeth would be in it. As a friend if need be. “What about you, Annabeth? Architecture everything you’d dreamed it’d be?”

“You know, I always thought my career would be my everything. The way I felt fulfilled, dynamic. But it’s not. I still love it. I love what I do, and I don’t forsee a future in which I won’t. But it’s not everything. Dancing, having a hobby and a community that doesn’t have anything to do with family or survival, but that’s about feelings and fun, that feels like a vital part of my life and I didn’t ever expect it to.” She avoids his eyes. “The other things I do, outside of work, in addition to my work, makes me feel whole.”

And Percy could see it, that Annabeth had worked hard to build a full life that she could be proud of. And he would be damned if he ever got in the way. 

“That makes sense to me,” he smiled at her. 

And then, of course, everything went to shit.

A woman screamed behind them, towards the door. Percy jumped up, his hand going to his pocket, and he could feel Annabeth jumping to her feet behind him. 

“It’s PERCY JACKSON!” the woman screamed, as she ran at him. Mortal or monster? Percy’s brain yelled at him. Decide!

He’d had too many encounters like this in the last year to count, as his show had gained popularity, and it really did not do good things for his trauma-informed fight reactions to screaming. 

Mortal, his brain decided at the last minute, and his body relaxed. But he hadn’t realized that Annabeth hadn’t had the same experiences. Annabeth dove across the table at him, pushing the table to the floor and sending Percy flying. He landed hard on his back, Annabeth’s shoulder in his sternum. 

“Your reflexes have gotten slow,” Annabeth grumbled as she pulled her knife out of gods knew where and started to jump up.

“Wait,” Percy caught her arm. “Fan, not monster. Look.”

The woman had frozen, mid-step, as Annabeth had tackled him, and was still several paces away.

“If that was a monster, you’d have saved my life,” he murmured in Annabeth’s ear. “But it was just a mortal. She wasn’t even halfway to us when you jumped me.”

Annabeth huffed. “I did not ‘jump’ you, as you are implying. I nobly removed you from harm’s way.”

“Look where we are, Wise Girl. The floor.”

Annabeth shook her head. “You could’ve warned me, you know. That this kind of thing happens to you. The screaming, the running. You could’ve let me know to expect it, so that I wouldn’t, you know…”

Fear for his life? Percy did know. He tried for humor.

“Scare the pee out of some old lady?”

She looked at him, her eyes flaming with fury, but Percy couldn’t help it, they were together, and they were safe, no one was trying to kill them at this exact moment, and she was sitting so close to him, practically on top of him, and he couldn’t remember the last time things had felt so normal between them. He began laughing. True, real, belly laughs. And he watched as the anger began to leave her eyes and she began laughing too, softly at first, but then they were both crying and holding their sides, laughing. 

And then the rest of the restaurant came to life. The woman who had been scared began to approach him again, and several other patrons had left their seats and the man who had been sitting directly across the room from Percy who had always struck Percy as a bit odd pulled out a camera and began to take pictures, shouting his name and asking him questions, 

“PERCY! Is this a date? Who’s the lucky lady? How long since you’ve broken Calypso’s heart? Does she know you’re here?”

That took the laughter right out of him. Percy sprung to his feet, grabbed Annabeth’s hand, and pulled her after him towards the kitchen, where he knew there’d be a second exit, because he always vetted his restaurants beforehand. 

“I’ll send money for the table and the dinner!” Percy yelled over his shoulder as he and Annabeth full on sprinted out of the kitchen and into the alleyway behind it, man and camera in pursuit. 

Percy was hit with a wave of disgust that he’d had to plan an escape route beforehand, and simultaneously a wave of gratitude that he’d done so. 

“This way,” he pulled Annabeth down another alleyway, pulling her into his chest and tucking them both into a doorway not easily seen by anyone in pursuit.


End file.
